This vegetable is known by various names in different parts of India. In Konkani, it is called rumbad, in hindi, it is known as goolar, in tamil as atthi, in marathi as umber and in sanskrit as udumbara, etc. The bark as well as the fruit(cluster fig) of the tree(called audumar in marathi) has great medicinal values. The tree is an auspicious one for Maharahtrians and always related with the Lord Dattatraya. This vgetable can be used in many ways. Rumbda upkeri and Sukkein(curry with gravy) are detailed elsewhere. The pollination of this vegetable is very unique and hence the seeds inside have to be removed after cutting it open, in order to avoid any wasps in it.

Ingredients:

rumbad, tender(raw cluster fig)-500 gms and

salt-1 tbsp.

Method:

Wash rumbad and cut into quarters. Remove seeds.

Add salt , mix well and keep aside for 5 mts.

Sqeeze and remove the water .

Dry them under the hot sun, using a plastic sheet.

Dry for 2 to 3 days till it is completely done.

It is stored in an airtight container and used as when required.

Can be fried and used with meals. On frying, it turns out very crispy.

The peels and seeds of the ash gourd,pumpkin etc are always thrown away. But they can be used by treating and drying them in the sun. They are fried and partaken with the meals , sometimes replacing the papads,vaadis etc.The process is very simple.

A reasonable quantity of the peels(cut into small pieces) and seeds rolled in requisite quantity of salt is sun dried for 2 to 3 days.

After it gets completely dried, store them in an airtight container.

They can be deep fried, whenever required, and can be used with the meals.

Many vegetables cut and mixed in dal batter, can be dried in the sun and preserved for a long time and used whenever required as an alternative to papad or any other fried items going with the meals. Vegetables such as beans, cluster beans. ladysfinger, chouli(long beans), etc are used for such purposes. The preparatoin is very simple and easy.

Even the waste parts of the vegetables like outer skin of the long beans(chouli)(cut into pieces) and stems(thurmban) of red as well as green chillies can also be used similarly for the purpose.

Ingredients:

any one of the vegetable-1kg,

urid dal-1 cup,

red chillies-15,

hing-1/4 tsp and

salt to taste(when dried, the quantity will reduce a lot).

Add salt accordingly.

Method:

Soak dal for 3 hrs. Grind with chillies and hing to a fine paste.

Cut the vegetables to very small pieces. Mix the vegetables, salt and the batter well.

Spread the mix in small quanties(in lobes) like vadis on plastic sheets and dry them under the hot sun.

When dried, the lobes will come out easily from the sheet.

Drying has to be done for 2 to 3 days, so that, all water is evaporated.